This week's top stories

  • Chad Farrall (center left) will be relocating his business, Farrallbuilt, to Hatfield Street where Lindquist Welding previously operated. Farrallbuilt is expected to be fully moved to its new location in early March. Pictured from left are: Farrall’s daughter Ellie Brown, his wife Becky, and Kay and Jim Lindquist.
    Chad Farrall (center left) will be relocating his business, Farrallbuilt, to Hatfield Street where Lindquist Welding previously operated. Farrallbuilt is expected to be fully moved to its new location in early March. Pictured from left are: Farrall’s daughter Ellie Brown, his wife Becky, and Kay and Jim Lindquist.
  • HPC wrestler Gage Friesen gets a celebratory embrace from coach Martin Phillips.
    HPC wrestler Gage Friesen gets a celebratory embrace from coach Martin Phillips.
  • Aurora's Logan Svoboda finished second in Class B's 126-pound bracket at the state wrestling tournament in Omaha.
    Aurora's Logan Svoboda finished second in Class B's 126-pound bracket at the state wrestling tournament in Omaha.
  • Members of the Hampton Elementary and Middle School robotics team demonstrate the robots they built for this year’s competition game which is called “Rapid Relay.” In competitions, three team members work in cooperation with three students from another school to use their robot to pick up balls and shoot them through one of four targets in the goal at left. From left are Uriah Brooks, Reis Stump, Lawson Haberer and Daniel White.
    Members of the Hampton Elementary and Middle School robotics team demonstrate the robots they built for this year’s competition game which is called “Rapid Relay.” In competitions, three team members work in cooperation with three students from another school to use their robot to pick up balls and shoot them through one of four targets in the goal at left. From left are Uriah Brooks, Reis Stump, Lawson Haberer and Daniel White.
  • UNL’s Big Red Singer’s rock the stage with an energetic mix of music and choreography, featuring many numbers created by UNL students.
    UNL’s Big Red Singer’s rock the stage with an energetic mix of music and choreography, featuring many numbers created by UNL students.
  • The Giltner cheer team poses for a team photo after winning the Class D state title in the 2025 Nebraska Cheer & Dance Championships on Friday at the Heartland Event Center in Grand Island.
    The Giltner cheer team poses for a team photo after winning the Class D state title in the 2025 Nebraska Cheer & Dance Championships on Friday at the Heartland Event Center in Grand Island.

    Five years after Lindquist Welding closed its doors, the shop on Hatfield Street in Giltner will become a new home for Farrallbuilt Welding. Chad Farrall, who co-owns Farrallbuilt with his wife Becky, had been running Farrallbuilt for 10 years in Harvard and realized he was lacking space for his growing business. “I felt like we were outgrowing the building we were in,” Farrall said.

    Local high school wrestlers and their exploits at the state wrestling tournament in Omaha last weekend dominated our headlines this week. One of those grabbing headlines was High Plains wrestling coach Martin Phillips, who after coming up short in four attempts, has a state champion in Gage Friesen. The Storm wrestler one of the 150-pound Class D bracket in the final match of the NSAA state wrestling championships that concluded Saturday night. His story and those of other top placing area wrestlers can be found in this week's sports section, plus readers will find a full page of pictures from the state tournament on Page A6.

    The Hampton Elementary robotics team finished its first year of existence in a big way over the weekend when one of its two teams won the state elementary championship in Omaha. Not only was the team of Uriah Brooks and Isaiah Venteicher crowned state champion but the team known as “The Barbie Guys” was presented with the Judges' Award for its performance at the competition. Find the full story of the team's now-completed season, plus information on the Hampton High School drone team on Page A3 of this week's ANR.

    The Middle School Theater was packed Sunday evening for an energetic performance of several ensembles. Joining the AHS groups Rhapsody and Impact was UNL’s Big Red Singers. Sunday’s event, sponsored by the Hamilton Community Foundation, came together in part due to an invitation from AHS vocal director Jason Frew, a former member of the Big Red Singers. The UNL group spent the afternoon in workshops with Rhapsody and Impact members before the combined evening performance.

    The Giltner cheer team won the Class D state title in the 2025 Nebraska Cheer & Dance Championships on Friday, Feb. 21, at the Heartland Event Center in Grand Island. Pictured in front, from left are Giovanna Nogara, Kailyn Wilson, Gracie Kreutz, Avery Reeson, Karly Eastman, Eliana Bish. Back row: Ciany Ledzma, Kalie Cady, Peyton Schutt, Addison Bradley, Jayci Buettner, McKaya Petzoldt, and cheer coach Amy Wilson.

    These stories and more can be found in this week's print or e-editions of the Aurora News-Register.